With a history stretching back more than 100 years in Hong Kong, Chinese herbal tea is a popular local remedy taken to alleviate various ailments. In humid southern China, Chinese herbal tea – made from boiling medicinal plants and herbs in water – has been a popular remedy for many ailments for more than a century. Herbal tea can be categorised into two groups - bitter and sweet. The bitter black concoction at which some may turn their noses up is nonetheless valued for its supposed medicinal and “cooling properties”; in Chinese culture, it is believed that eating certain foods heats our body up, and so certain teas can be consumed to cool the body down. Hong Kong’s herbal tea shops gained popularity in the 1960s and ’70s and some have stood resilient against the passing of time while others have sought to modernise their business models. One-Eyed Man's Cooling Tea, a name that needs no introduction among herbal tea lovers in Hong Kong, was founded decades ago by a man who was born with a skewed eye and known locally as the “single-eyed man”. The shop has been in business on Temple Street in Kowloon for about 60 years and is now run by the fourth generation of the founding family. Although it no longer sells medicinal herbs, the shop continues to make “24 herbs” tea and Five Flowers tea using a traditional recipe that involves boiling the tea ingredients for about 20 hours. Homemade herbal-tea bags are also for sale. 庙街是香港其中一个特色景点, 小贩和食肆林立, 这条热闹的不夜街对本地人和遊客都具吸引力. 而在这条地标性的街道上, 也有一个独特的地标, 是自庙街闻名以来就已经存在, 或者它未必如街边歌坛为人带来娱乐, 也不如榕树头那些占卜摊般带来希望, 可是它却为附近街坊街里带来最平价的保健服务, 小病不适的时候总会想到喝一碗凉茶, 邻近庙街一带超过五十年的老店单眼佬凉茶 (春和堂) 虽味苦但回甘, 润泽了不少人的心. 许多人到香港油麻地的庙街里, 来上一碗, 在地味的凉茶, 若是不知道要选择喝什么, 还可以请教店舖老板, 喝上一碗当下最适合你的老凉茶. 今昤今日的单眼佬凉茶 (春和堂), 依然是以售卖凉茶为主, 多年来的格局, 完全没有转变过. 在香港处处可见卖凉茶的店舖, 算是老祖先所传承下来的饮品之一, 搭配许多中药材熬煮而成, 这些在港澳甚至广东一带是时常可见的店舖饮品, 甚至做成罐装方式贩卖. 各式各样的凉茶饮品用的是不同的药材多样所熬煮而成, 有五味, 二十四味, 二十八味等多样的凉茶饮选择. 40 年代最早出现的凉茶铺, 特色之一是以药材店结合凉茶店为经营模式, 现唯一属于这年代的古董就是单眼佬凉茶 (春和堂). 走进春和堂, 仍可见从前的格局, 店内有中医驻诊, 旁边有卖中药材的百子柜, 门前就腾出一个小地方卖凉茶. 春和堂的凉茶花样不多, 特效感冒止咳单眼佬凉茶, 卖到街知巷闻, 远近驰名. 店门口, 依然是旧式的一碗碗凉茶, 排排的放在长台上, 行过摆低钱, 客人站在门口匆匆喝完, 来去如风. 这家百年药行能在庙街岁月至今, 门庭若市, 说明港人心中对于单眼佬凉茶苦口良药仍忠心, 亦随着这种经营模式继续繁盛, 代代流传. Chinese medicine is very much concerned with chi, the body's internal balance, and when you've had too many greasy, beer-soaked dinners – which you will, if you're doing a proper job of visiting Hong Kong – you could very well become "heaty," which causes bad skin, heartburn and other ailments. The cure is by drinking cooling tea, which you can find at One-Eyed Man's Cooling Tea. 有着百年历史的春和堂药行, 创始人李镛昌, 因患斜视令人误会有一眼盲, 被街坊讥为 “单眼佬”, 他干脆就叫自己的凉茶店为 “单眼佬凉茶”. 庙街是香港其中一个特色景点, 小贩和餐厅林立. 而在这条地标性的街道上, 街角四面都是新式的店铺, 唯独在那拐角的地方, 有一间凉茶铺仿佛仍停留在过去. 地上仍是方型地砖, 凉茶铺内的格局仍保留着很多当年的痕迹, 一旁放置着被丢空的百子柜, 陈旧而古老. 五十年代, 旺角码头和佐敦道码头是船运的重要卸货点, 附近最多的就是在码头负责搬运的工人, 他们正是当时春和堂的主要客人. 当时的春和堂不仅卖凉茶, 还会卖熟药, 即是药材和生草药. 单眼佬经营的年代是春和堂最有规模的时代, 因为当时中医仍是主流, 所以春和堂虽不设中医坐诊, 却有两位负责人为顾客按医生开的药单配药. 但直到第二代, 生草药和配药部分慢慢淡出, 因没人能再看懂药单, 春和堂只卖凉茶和自家中成药. 如今的春和堂已经传承到第四代李兆麟的手上, 但现在的春和堂却不再卖中成药, 凉茶铺里所见的药也只作摆放和纪念之用. 然而, 春和堂的凉茶仍最大地传承着传统的秘方和制法, 仅出售两种凉茶: 单眼佬凉茶和五花茶. 李兆麟表示, 就算供应的药材不稳定, 春和堂仍会坚持用同样的配方, 现煲现卖, 以保持品质, 因为这个品牌是上几代人苦心经营下来, 十分不容易. 有位老奶奶特意从其他地方过来, 因为在她家附近的单眼佬凉茶不再经营了, 目前仅剩下庙街这家. 老奶奶表示, 她喝单眼佬的凉茶几十年了, 一不舒服就会喝, 对她而言, 只单眼佬凉茶有效果, 就算远, 也要经常过来喝一杯这里的凉茶和情义. 李兆麟表示, 过段时间单眼佬的凉茶也要涨价了, 他虽然无奈, 但为了凉茶铺能继续经营下去也只能涨价, 他相信, 街坊能理解, 而他也会一如既往地保持单眼佬凉茶的味道和功效, 还有那份属于香港人的凉茶情缘. 如今李镛昌已去世六十多年, 但其相片仍是高高挂在店内, 俨如单眼佬的代言人. 一张照片, 一个年过九十的老 伯, 印证了 “单眼佬" 在庙街的历史与地位. 在庙街, 几乎无人不识单眼佬, 有多少年历史? 很多人也记不清, 但肯定是过百年, 看它们的凉茶由几仙到现在六元, 就知有几耐. 单眼佬天生双眼斗鸡, 加上大细眼, 细路哥以为佢有只眼盲, 便叫他做单眼佬. Though Hong Kong may now have one of the most modernized skylines in the world, you can still see many old-fashioned herbal teashops all over Hong Kong on the street, even if your eyes miss them, you can still sense it with your nose by its distinctive, sometimes pungent, fragrance. One-Eyed Man Cooling Tea is one staple that seldom miss the list. 每家茶店均有独家的配方, "单眼佬" 凉茶亦不例外. 这碗味道百年如一的单眼佬凉茶, 茶汤带深褐色, 先苦而后甘, 有醇和的药材味, 灌了一碗后, 甘味仍 停留在口腔间, 还有草本的清香, 不像外面的廿四味只得苦涩, 味道层次杂乱无章. 味道如此醇和, 除了用由购来的上乘药材外, 煲制亦要花心机. 凉茶每天煲两次, 每次把数十斤的药材 洗净, 再放进一米高的大煲内, 加水煲足五六小时. 有些药材会沉底, 有些会浮面, 所以其间还要用竹 棍把中药拌匀, 这样药材的味道才会均匀. 凉茶煲好了, 还要焗上若干时间, 让药材味慢慢渗出. 最后, 再以白布袋将凉茶隔渣. 这样, 凉茶口感便会顺滑, 不会喝到有残渣. The name Five Flower Tea (五花茶) refers to the fact that it is a mixture of 5 flowers (Honeysuckle, chrysanthemum flower, silk cotton, Plumeria Rubra and Pueraria Lobata). This type of tea is suitable for drinking during summer to lower the heat and helps to alleviate symptoms like fatigue, sore throat, indigestion, poor appetite, insomnia and urinary difficulty. It can help to clear acne and eczema. Whereas the One-Eyed Man Cooling Tea (单眼佬凉茶) treats mainly cold and eliminates heat inside the body to heal common cold, mild chills, sore throat and fullness in chest. There are sweet teas and bitter teas; both are dark in colour, brewed from a mysterious combination of herbs and dispensed from a trophy-shaped silver vessel into small porcelain bowls. 店内凉茶是用蓝白瓷碗装盛别俱特色, 无论是凉茶或是五花茶早已是在地人习惯的生活饮品, 在地人通常是选择要喝的凉茶, 站着喝, 拿起碗很快喝完就离开. 每间凉茶的成份不同, 熬煮出的风味也不同, 第一次喝到会觉得苦味十足, 但口感却是醇厚的回甘味, 怕苦那也可以选择五味茶, 杭菊风味较甘甜, 到嘴边就有淡淡的菊香, 在香港凉茶俨然是生活中习以为常的茶饮, 也是地方别具特色的饮品, 据香港人表示, 热凉茶对身体较适合. 这一口甘泉, 其实是以一种或多种药材煎成的汤剂, 有清热解毒, 生津止渴, 去火除湿等功效, 平日常 饮之, 可预防疾病, 有病饮之, 即可治病. 然而 “单眼佬” 却独沽两味: 单眼佬凉茶 (即廿四味) 及五花茶, 不及坊间的凉茶铺多花款, 只因店中的 凉茶秘方由创办人单眼佬李镛昌传下来, 后人亦不敢增卖其他口味的凉茶. 店子仍保存四, 五十年代的模样, 内里放药材的百子柜, 地上仍铺着当时很流行的图案阶砖, 售卖部放有两个金属制的大壶分别载着 "五花茶" 和 "单眼佬凉茶", 上面挂着其祖宗的肖像, 傍边写着其凉茶的各种功效. 当你看到如今依然挂在店子内的单眼佬真像之时, 你或者会问为何单眼佬有两只眼, 其实单眼佬之所以得名, 不是因为其常常对人单眼, 而是因为其左右眼相差太大, 因而被当时的小孩戏称为单眼佬. 许多香港人对单眼佬的感情, 也有如救世主一般. 单眼佬搬到现址时, 正是五十年代, 是香港凉茶业的全盛时期, 当时西医在香港并不流行, 加上看西医 的诊金高昂, 平民百姓有病, 每个人会到凉茶铺喝碗凉茶, 回家后盖上被子大睡一觉, 焗出一身汗, 病便渐渐痊愈起来. 凉茶铺如便利店一样, 总有一间在左近. 在这个凉茶盛世, 单眼佬便曾拥有过三间分店, 分别在旺角上海街, 弥敦道与亚皆老街交界及深水. 此 时亦是单眼佬凉茶的最风光时代, 四间店每日可卖四百碗凉茶. 后来由于有些店的加租幅度太高而结 束, 如今只剩下庙街本店. This herbal tea house has been a fixture in Hong Kong's Temple Street for decades, serving herbal tea to residents and tourists alike. Many residents must have bittersweet childhood memories of being coerced into taking the tea by well-meaning parents, a trial still experienced by children in the present day.
Cooling tea using chinese herbs have served as the foundation for "Traditional Chinese Medicine", or TCM, for over 5,000 years. The fundamental idea of living in harmony with nature and the environment forms the basis for the use of Chinese herbs as well as the traditional Chinese approach to health. Knowledge of the healing power of Chinese herbs and herbal remedies has been passed down from generation to generation, and today represents one of China’s greatest gifts to mankind. 百样的单眼佬凉茶 (春和堂) 客人, 却有一式一样的动作. 先走到柜台, 放下钱, 取起一碗凉茶, 翻起胶盖, 轻轻呷一口, 嗯, 微暖的, 饮了, 提起碗咕噜咕噜地喝下. 好些人喝罢, 还抛下一个 “条气顺晒" 的表情, 施施的打道回府. 单眼佬凉茶不单抚慰了街坊的喉头, 还见证了庙街的变迁. 几十年前的凉茶铺, 多会在店内装上留声机, 丽的呼声有线电视, 再放上坐椅来吸引后生仔女. 但单眼佬凉茶却没有这种招徕客人的伎俩. 只因 那年头的庙街, 雀馆满布街上, 又有很多凤姐在楼梯口兜客, 随街也有饮醉酒的人, 吸毒者在游荡. 所 以, 店内除了放有三张残旧的木椅, 一张木桌供店员休息外, 连一张供客人坐下喝凉茶的椅子也没有. 昔日的庙街龙蛇混杂, 如今三九流的人已没从前般明目张胆. 庙街亦已变得面目全非. 黑胶唱片档已 变成翻版光碟档, 春和堂旁的大排档, 结业的结业, 要搬上熟食中心的亦搬了. 以前来单眼佬喝凉茶的 后生仔女已长大成人; 从前跟父母来喝凉茶的, 今天亦带自己的儿女来. 饮凉茶的习惯亦有所改变. 对老一辈的客人来说, 单眼佬的凉茶可以当水喝. 现在的客人却多只会在感到热气, 喉咙痛时才会来喝一 碗. 还有, 以前家庭主妇都会买包装凉茶回家煲给家人喝. 但现在大家也讲求效率, 宁愿买煲好的凉茶回家, 所以店内也有枝装凉茶供应. 古式的凉茶药店也是一个频临绝种的生意模式. 也是因为这个原因, 单眼佬凉茶的名字虽然很多人认识, 也有不少人希望可以邀请这家老字号将出品批发到外面, 可是它却从来只坚持自己本店发售, 没有像其他品牌般外发到其他地方, 都是因为这一家以质为本的凉茶舖, 担心凉茶批发之后, 因为存放的环境和时间影响品质. 我希望我的文图的表扬, 可以令世人记番起, 那些年在凉茶舖拍拖饮凉茶食马蹄糕听流声机的浪漫旧日子. 另外, 香港的老药厂, 纯人手制造的古方良药, 我也希望可以代代传承下去.
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